


almost heaven

by somhiuld



Series: you set me ablaze [4]
Category: SECHSKIES (Band), Winner (Band), 신서유기 | New Journey To The West (Reality TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Road Trips, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somhiuld/pseuds/somhiuld
Summary: Jiwon wonders half the time how Minho comes up with the ideas he does, and how he somehow ends up following them.
Relationships: Eun Jiwon/Song Minho | Mino
Series: you set me ablaze [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1405435
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	almost heaven

**Author's Note:**

> hello there! it's been a long while since i wrote jiwon/mino, hasn't it?
> 
> so i was lurking a certain site, when i found out that jiwon & mino were on a camping trip show together. some particularly evocative moments that spawned brainworms for this: jiwon & mino preparing their sleeping space which is so domestic!!! + them saying goodnight. [watch](http://kisstvshow.to/Show/Gamsung-Camping/Episode-11?id=26108&s=beta&pfail=1) the whole episode!
> 
> and a [bonus highly cursed image](https://twitter.com/roommatesonIy/status/1344979948511977474). timeline wise in the _ablaze_ series, this is set quite some time after the first few instalments.
> 
> some background music especially for the [end bit](https://youtu.be/6744glqD6lk)! i have also taken many a creative liberty regarding locations, timelines and certain relationships, so apologies for any errors. hope you enjoy!

The uncharacteristic silence weighs heavy in the air as Jiwon and Minho stare into blank space, their agency representatives and variety show producers looking back at them with strained smiles.

 _So, we want to send you guys on a camping car trip,_ one of the producers had told them earlier, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge and eyeing them with a tinge of nervousness. _Don’t worry, the cast is a team of familiar and experienced faces,_ another had said before rattling off some names that both of them were already familiar with.

Minho tries to put on as relaxed a smile as he could. Granted, in his very much blossoming relationship with Jiwon — they were very much happy, all things considered — they had done many things together, shared many memories, but travelling in slightly rougher conditions than normal? That was something totally new altogether.

“With Narae and Youngmi-noona?” Minho had parroted. He taps Jiwon on the elbow, his smile slowly widening in excitement. “It’ll be so fun, hyung.”

“Mm, yeah, sure,” Jiwon mumbles. Seeing Minho’s wide eyed expression, Jiwon eventually relents, much to Minho’s delight. Besides, he never really liked going on variety shows alone, especially when they involved new experiences like this.

Later on, when the meeting room is vacated and they’re certain they’re alone, Minho swivels in his chair to face Jiwon, placing his hand lightly over Jiwon’s in some sort of reassuring gesture.

“Something weighing on your mind, hyung?” Minho murmurs, his finger lightly tracing Jiwon’s knuckle.

Jiwon makes a noise. “Nothing, nothing, it’s just—” here he furrows his brow, forehead creasing into a tight frown. Minho leans in closer, wanting to be able to hear him properly.

“I was kind of, sort of hoping, actually, that our first proper camping road trip together would be special.”

Minho juts back, his eyebrows nearly touching the top of his head in surprise. He brushes back his blonde hair with his hand, as Jiwon leans back in his chair, eyeing him with an as yet unreadable expression. A soppy smile slowly forms on Minho’s face, his grin toothy. Jiwon can’t help but snort at how soft Minho looked.

“Then…” Minho breaks the thoughtful silence after a while, “how about we take one, just the two of us? Take it as a practice round, before we go on the show.” He rests his chin on his hands, the familiar flower pose — as if doing such an expression would help drive his point further.

Jiwon hums in consideration, twiddling his thumbs as Minho hooks an arm around his, resting his hands there.

“So. Where do you wanna go?” Jiwon asks, warmth in his voice.

Minho beams.

Jiwon nearly falls off his chair when he hears Minho’s suggestion.

“Jeju? Jeju Island? Even when they just told us that that’s where we’re headed? And on our own in a camping car no less, are you _kidding?_ ”

“Hyung!” Minho replies indignantly. “It’s not like we can go anywhere further, like Australia or New Zealand or something. Please, just this once?”

Jiwon tsks in response, starting his nagging tirade over how troublesome it would be. About how they would have to rent the car, stock up on camping supplies, and acquiring the plane tickets just to get there.

“But we still have time, hyung,” Minho whines, shaking Jiwon on the arm. “Please? It would be special like you wanted. Besides, we could visit some friends while we were there…” Minho’s voice starts to trail off, knowing that his suggestions were about to go into sketchy territory.

“You’re not talking about Jaejin, are you?” Jiwon narrows his eyes at Minho, before sighing as Minho’s puppy eyes betray him. “He’s never going to let us visit. I don’t even know where his address is! None of the other guys do, in fact.”

Minho turns away for a brief moment, whipping his phone out from his pocket. “Good thing I know someone who does,” he singsongs, before brandishing a segment of a Kakao Talk conversation with Jinwoo. Jiwon plucks the phone from Minho’s hands, squinting to read the small font. He nearly drops it to Minho’s slight horror when he reaches a certain realization.

“Jinwoo went all the way to Jaejin’s house to drink?” Jiwon parrots, mouth agape in genuine shock. “Mm hmm!” Minho replies with a smug nod. “I’ve also taken the liberty to get Jinwoo-hyung to help us with a favour.”

“Which is?” Jiwon’s face twitches.

“Jaejin-hyung said we could go over to his place for lunch,” Minho chuckles. “I’ve also wanted to meet Charls for a while anyway.”

Jiwon’s mouth remains open wide from shock. He’s not sure whether to be shocked or amazed at his boyfriend’s organizational abilities. Granted, he could be clumsy in certain aspects, but when he was focused, he could get things done.

“Next you’re going to tell me you’ve planned a hike around the country for our anniversary or something,” Jiwon mutters. When Minho’s face visibly lightens he raises a hand to stop him before he spirals into another possibly madcap idea. “One at a time, babe,” Jiwon drawls, slowly rising from his chair to stretch and sip the last of his iced coffee.

He’s about to leave when he feels a solid tug on his hand, and the corner of his lips quip when he feels the slightest hint of a quick peck to his cheek.

“Thank you, hyung.” Jiwon can feel the smile on his lips. Jiwon turns to look at Minho. He thinks, it’s always been hard to say no to Minho anyway.

Only a couple of days later, Jiwon finds himself trudging through the Gimpo Airport terminal towards a spot that Minho and him had agreed on, a pillar where little attention would be drawn to them, though the sun hadn’t even risen yet and hardly anyone save for a handful of staff was making their rounds.

He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, still not fully awake yet. Minho smiles at him, the wide rim of his hat obscuring half his face. Even after all this time, there were still some little things Jiwon still couldn't grasp about Minho.

“G’morning to you too, hyung,” Minho chirps, a little bit too sprightly this early in the morning. Jiwon responds with a hum of acknowledgement, before pulling Minho in for a light hug. He pulls back when he feels himself bump against something solid.

“What the heck do you have there…” Jiwon mumbles, glancing at Minho’s hands, where there’s a big box of natural supplements.

“Just a simple thank you gift for Jaejin-hyung,” Minho smiles. Jiwon nods, looking rather impressed. “Yeah, I’m very certain he's into that kind of stuff,” he wrinkles his nose when he looks at the long list of ingredients, mostly herbs that he personally wasn’t a fan of taking.

While Jiwon continues to study the box, Minho jolts when he checks his watch, shocking Jiwon out of his little reverie. “Almost boarding time,” Minho says. “Hyung, shall we?” he grins, lacing a gloved hand in Jiwon’s as they head to the gate.

Jiwon almost passes out completely when he gets himself settled in their business class seats, while beside him, Minho is still busy keeping his things.

“Did you bring your whole easel and entire set of art supplies along or something?” Jiwon mutters, voice heavy with fatigue. Minho gives him a withering look. “God, you did,” Jiwon turns to stare blankly at the headrest on the seat in front of him. “It's only going to be two days…”

“And I want to make the most of it,” Minho says surely as he zips up his shoulder bag and tucking it securely in the overhead compartment. Jiwon folds his fingers together, opting for silence and not wanting them to argue before they even landed for their trip.

As the cabin crew rattles on the usual set of long familiar announcements, Jiwon lets himself be lost to sleep, feeling the familiar warmth of a hand engulfing his own.

Jeju is rather nail bitingly cold this time of year, Jiwon realizes dryly as he pushes the cart containing their luggage while Minho taps furiously away on his phone. The company that would be renting out the camping car to them had said they would park it at the airport to make things convenient.

“Ah, hello!” Minho waves vigorously at an approaching middle aged man wearing a sunny grin.

“You must be Song Minho-ssi,” the man says, placing the keys firmly into Minho’s palm. “Here are your keys! Don't forget to return them to our shop when you're done. We hope you enjoy your time on the island!” No sooner, he disappears with a quick series of polite bows, leaving behind a bemused Minho and Jiwon.

“Well then,” there’s a flash of excitement in Minho's eyes as he dangles the keys in his hand in Jiwon’s face. “Let's go check out the car.”

Jiwon did not expect that the camping car would be this large when he gets a proper look at it. It takes him back to years past when he was still a cast member on a travel variety program where they too took a camping car and travelled along the coastlines. 

Minho loads their things up while Jiwon takes a look around the interior. It has pretty much almost everything they need — a bathroom, a space resembling a living room plus a kitchen, and of course, space on the upper floor for sleeping.

Jiwon quickly gets off when he hears a sharp grunt from the outside. He pretends not to notice Minho struggling with loading up his smaller easel, which was still pretty large but not the usual one he used for his more major work.

“Alright,” Minho huffs, dusting off his hands and just then, Jiwon’s stomach betrays him.

“Someone's hungry,” Minho smirks, looking up to glance at Jiwon who was scratching his head, trying his best to appear like he hadn't been noticed. “Let's get you breakfast, hyung.”

Minho is the one taking the wheel for this leg of the trip, as he was the one who did most of the planning for their itinerary. They end up at what Minho claims is a famous place for abalone porridge, which is just what they need in this weather.

The auntie who runs the place with her daughter insists on loading them with extra side dishes, so even though Jiwon is coughing through bites of the extra spicy kimchi, he’s grateful for the gesture. They need to stock up anyways, since the drive was going to be a long one and it would be quite a long time before lunch.

He can’t help but shudder slightly when he thinks about lunch, specifically lunch at Jaejin’s when he’s never been to the guy’s house, despite having been in the same group for over a decade now. Jaejin’s previous attempts at cooking, to the best of his memory, were disastrous — but when the group filmed _Three Meals for Four_ together, it at least put some of Jiwon’s worries to rest, seeing Jaejin being able to wrangle a homemade knife cut noodle dish on his own.

He looks over at Minho, who’s half busy devouring the food in front of him, while also checking his phone.

“You’re as busy as a local tour guide,” Jiwon chuckles in amusement, putting a shelled abalone onto Minho’s bowl. “Eat first,” he says shortly, before taking a bite of radish kimchi that was much milder than the extra spicy cabbage.

“I wanna make sure we’re on the right track,” Minho replies, half distracted as he nearly drops rice on his loudly coloured coat, that Jiwon is sure is worth more than a few meals here.

“We have GPS, it’ll be fine,” Jiwon drawls, before Minho flinches, feeling something poke at his mouth. “Eat.” Minho makes a short noise of protest, but begrudgingly opens his mouth.

Jiwon snorts as he watches Minho eat with a scowl on his face. It’s a very familiar expression, most often seen when Jiwon would go over to Minho’s apartment on days where they just didn’t feel like going out. Minho would be working on some new art piece after dinner, and he seemed to wear a permanent half-scowl as he worked. It was endearing to Jiwon in his own way, seeing how hard he worked, though he didn’t always understand the art.

“I’m full,” Jiwon declares, setting down his clean, empty bowl.

“Knew you’d like it,” Minho nods snugly, knowing his boyfriend’s penchant for having a picky palate.

“Where to next, chief?” Jiwon puts his hands in his coat pockets, eyeing Minho lazily.

“We need to pick up some food, of course,” Minho declares. “I’m thinking we could do outdoor barbecue for dinner or something, if the weather clears up.”

Jiwon licks his lips, already thinking of the familiar aroma of grilled pork and soju. “Sounds good,” he says, before getting up to settle the bill.

Once they’re back on the road, they loudly warble to various songs on Minho’s mishmash of a road trip playlist — containing songs the both of them liked, from oldies that Jiwon enjoyed along with some newer hip hop songs that Minho was listening to and had introduced to Jiwon.

They mess up a rapid-fire line on a particularly hard hitting song and end up in fits of laughter, Jiwon covering his mouth as his face contorts.

“This is like the time we were on that _tuktuk,_ ” Minho says through laughter, remembering when they’d gone to Thailand with Joonhyung and some other guys for a show. Jiwon remembers. It was a lot of fun, and of course, being able to spend time with Minho was an added bonus. Jiwon secretly enjoyed when they were paired up to go on variety shows together.

He finds himself starting to think of their shared memories, from when they met, and the rather unique way in which they’d gotten together, thanks to Minho’s music. Minho working with him on his solo album was yet another bonus treat, and Jiwon can’t help but be grateful that it’s been mostly good for the both of them so far.

“What are you looking at, hyung? Something on my face? You know I took my piercings out ages ago,” Minho jests before shifting his attention back at the expansive highway before them.

Jiwon stays silent. He’ll save his thoughts for later, as the music switches to a Patti Kim song, a nostalgic one about fall.

When they do arrive at the supermarket, unfortunately the carpark is quite packed, causing Minho to frown in frustration. He was hoping they could take their time, do something seemingly ordinary with a certain degree of normalcy. But for some reason, what looked like a significant portion of Jeju’s population was out and about.

Jiwon checks his watch. “Looks like we’ll have to make this quick. We have to be at Jaejin’s soon anyway,” he says with a shrug. Minho gnaws on his lower lip, before making his way to the trolleys.

Jiwon takes charge of pushing the trolley while Minho pores over his list, handwritten of course. There are a number of things they need to get, mainly food as well as things for the car and the barbecue Minho has in mind. Minho makes quick work of acquiring pork belly, as well as a pre boxed set of vegetables that would go well as wraps. Jiwon, on the other hand, gets solid fuel and some ramyeon to go with the meat.

They’re in and out of the supermarket in half an hour flat, enthusiastically high fiving after loading everything into the refrigerator of the camping car and the rest into whatever cupboard and boot space they can squeeze their items into.

Jaejin’s house is quite the distance away from the supermarket, and Jiwon completely understands his desire for space and privacy. He makes sure to send Jaejin a heads-up that they were approaching, and isn’t surprised in the slightest when he’s left on read.

It’s a simple terrace house with pretty good natural views of the island, and Jiwon absently wonders for a moment what it might be like if he relocated just like Jaejin, replacing the bustle of his city life in Yeoiudo for this. Possibly with Minho in it, but just as the thought leaks out, an old feeling of dread creeps up his throat and he quickly stamps it out. He takes the box of supplements that Minho had bought carefully into his hands, as Minho puts on his large hat, their footsteps loud on the mildly sandy path.

“Jaejin-ah!” Jiwon calls, ringing the doorbell at the same time. “Open up, you rascal. We’re freezing our asses off here!” He continues to knock impatiently, peppering his words with some choice curses that makes Minho bend over laughing.

Minho’s grin widens as a familiar figure comes to the door, face scrunched in a frown, as if saying wordlessly _I heard you the first five times, hyung._

“Hey, Jaejin-hyung,” Minho chirps. “We got something for you too.” Jiwon hands the box over wordlessly as Jaejin takes it with a curious look. He turns without a word, and Minho follows him inside after quickly removing his shoes.

“Wow,” Minho mouths as he takes a good look in the hall and living room. The design of the house allowed for plenty of natural light to come in. On some of the walls, Jaejin had put up some paintings that mostly centred around cats, most likely his own.

Minho makes a noise when he feels something at his feet, and practically swoons when he glances down to see a ball of fluff at his feet.

“Charls!” Minho squeaks, kneeling down to pet the cat.

“Rascal,” Jiwon says affectionately, leaving Minho to indulge himself in petting Charls. Jiwon makes his way toward the dining room, where the kitchen is just adjoining. His ears perk up when he hears more than one voice, which was odd since to the best of his knowledge, it was only Jaejin and Charls.

His question is quickly answered when a slender figure exits the kitchen, a large dish in hand.

“Oh, hey hyung!” Jinwoo smiles, eyes crinkling. Jiwon manages a mumbled hello before he notices next that Jinwoo was 1) in Jaejin’s house; 2) wearing a shirt several sizes too big for him, and 3) it was a Hongik University shirt — to his most recent knowledge, that was where Jaejin was going for his art course.

Jiwon has always thought he was quite astute, but even he didn’t really expect this. He acts as if whatever he’s just realized within the span of a few minutes isn’t new knowledge, and asks Jinwoo how he could help.

“Just make yourself at home, hyung,” Jinwoo says, making an insistent hand gesture as he plates the sashimi and scurries back into the kitchen.

Minho joins Jiwon shortly after and Jiwon isn’t sure whether he should relay his newest realization. Or maybe Minho already knew and didn’t tell him. It now made more sense why Jinwoo came all the way here to have a drink with Jaejin, and how easily they could come to the house for lunch.

Jaejin reappears with more dishes after, gaze focused on ensuring that he didn’t spill anything. The spread of food is quite something — various cuts of sashimi, a spicy stew with octopus, and multigrain rice — which was not Jiwon’s usual choice, but he’s not about to complain when Jaejin is allowing them into his space.

Jiwon sneaks some glances at Jinwoo and Jaijin while he takes bites of his food. They clearly look very comfortable with each other, but Jinwoo doesn’t overstep, his affectionate touches fleeting. Jaijin’s smiles are sheepish, giving his face a softness that is rare for Jiwon. Minho, meanwhile, looks out for Charls who’s placed himself under the dining table.

Minho is the one who initiates most of the conversation, Jiwon content to add in a witty remark as and when, making Jaejin retort snippily, but they know it’s their unique brand of affection after so many years.

Jaejin excuses himself after a while when he notices the plates are mostly empty, and Minho gets up quickly to help, Jiwon smiling as he watches. That’s Minho, he thinks, ever the eager beaver.

He doesn’t feel awkward with Jinwoo in the slightest, but the most pressing of his curiosities is on the tip of his tongue.

“It’s really nice here,” Jinwoo says, stretching. Jiwon nods. “We thought Jaejinnie was nuts when he said he was going to live here, but it really does suit him.”

Jinwoo smiles. “It’s definitely more relaxing than Seoul for sure,” he says with a soft chuckle, clutching his mug. “I can really see myself being here for a long time.” Jiwon doesn’t miss the hint in Jinwoo’s words, and he can’t help the toothy smile that forms on his face. A reassured feeling washes over him, with the knowledge that Jaejin wouldn’t be all alone on the island, even if he already has Charls.

When Jaejin and Minho finally return from the kitchen, Jaejin bends to say something to Jinwoo, and Jinwoo gently pats Jaejin on the arm for a moment. He looks back at Jiwon with a knowing glint in his eye, smiling over his mug.

They stay for a bit after lunch until Jiwon insists they should probably be on their way, if they wanted to make it to the camping point that Minho had in mind on time. Jinwoo hugs Minho tightly as they part. Meanwhile Jiwon pats Jaejin firmly on the shoulder, asking him to invite the other guys over for drinks too, knowing they wouldn’t hesitate if it was him inviting them. Jaejin merely replies with a strange smile, before pushing Jiwon along as they accompany them down to where the camping car was parked.

“Thanks for the gift, Minho-ssi,” Jaejin singsongs, and Jiwon snorts at the formality that Jaejin was still insistent on after so long.

“Wow, you were serious about the camping car,” Jinwoo remarks in awe, Charls resting in his arms. Minho smiles proudly with a thumbs up, as they wave goodbye.

Minho gives Jiwon a knowing look as they get back into the car, able to sense that something was very much on Jiwon’s mind.

“What?” Jiwon says, eyes wide.

“Just spit it out,” Minho drawls as he starts the engine, steering them out of Jaejin’s estate and back onto the road.

“Fine, I’ll bite,” Jiwon sighs. “How long?”

“How long what?” Minho says, eyes fixed on the road.

Jiwon huffs. “You-you know… the two of them…”

“I don’t know whatever it is you mean, hyung,” Minho insists, still not looking at Jiwon.

Jiwon reaches out to swat at Minho’s shoulder. “You know…”

Minho purses his lips thoughtfully. “A number of months now?” his voice trails off.

“How did you find out?” Jiwon hugs his knees to his chest. Minho shrugs. “Well, Jinwoo-hyung started sending us pictures when he went out drinking, but it didn’t look like any of our usual hangouts. Then Suwon-hyung started complaining when Jinwoo-hyung said he was too busy to hang with him and Jaeduck-hyung. So I guess, yeah.”

Jiwon makes a disappointed noise, wondering if he was really the last to know. “Something wrong, hyung?” Minho says, turning to him briefly to check his expression.

“No, not at all,” Jiwon swipes his hand. “It’s just… surprising? The thought of the two of them.”

“I’m sure some people felt the same way about us at the start, hyung,” Minho laughs, to which Jiwon folds his arms.

When silence falls again, Minho turns up the music. “Let’s switch at the next stop,” Jiwon says with a jaw cracking yawn. “You’ve already driven quite a bit, you must be exhausted already, since you got up so early.”

Minho chuckles. “Alright, hyung,” he murmurs, patting Jiwon on the hand, and he flinches slightly when he feels Jiwon curling his fingers around his own. He picks their hands up and plants a soft kiss on Jiwon's knuckles. After a while, Minho knows Jiwon is lost to sleep when his grip loosens.

“Rest up, hyung,” Minho whispers affectionately, switching playlists for some soft jazz.

Jiwon is dreaming about an idyllic island life when he’s awoken by hurried muttering around him, and he notices the car has stopped too.

“Something wrong, Minho-ya?” Jiwon mumbles, rubbing his eyes as he stirs awake. He quickly unbuckles his seat belt, before going outside to join Minho.

“I think something’s up with the car, but I don’t know what,” Minho says, rubbing at his chin.

“Is there someone we can call?” Jiwon furrows his brow. Minho sighs. “I don’t want to call the rental company just yet,” he says, sounding a bit fearful of incurring additional costs.

“Where are we, anyway?” Jiwon glances around. The skies looked far less gloomy than before, and a bit of sun was peeking through the clouds.

Minho takes out his phone, checking the maps app. “Our next exit is Sogil-ri,” he says, studying the map.

Jiwon lets out a deep sigh. “I know someone who might be able to help,” he says, sounding a bit graver than usual.

“Wait, Sogil-ri…” Minho takes a closer look, before glancing away in thought. “Why is that so familiar?”

“Hyori lives there,” Jiwon mutters.

“Hyori? You mean _the_ Lee Hyori-noona?” Minho’s jaw slackens. Jiwon nods, pulling his coat closer to himself.

“Oh yeah, you guys used to be under the same label, right?” Minho’s tone turns cheerful. “We could pay her a visit. I do have an extra box of supplements too,” but before Jiwon can retort, Minho has already gotten back into the car.

Jiwon rubs at his face, wondering how things could just change so quickly. He begrudgingly gets into the driver’s seat, letting Minho navigate the way.

Minho's wide network of contacts has somehow managed to get him in touch with Sangsoon, Hyori’s singer-songwriter husband. Jiwon thinks that's a little bit better, rather than his current boyfriend talking to his old flame.

Right. Minho doesn't know that yet.

“So what made you want to come to Jeju?” Jiwon asks, after they’re back on the road, the car making an odd noise, though soft.

“A number of things,” Minho says. “I may have also binged Hyori-noona’s show recently,” he smiles.

“No wonder,” Jiwon muses.

“Hyung, then are you guys close?” Minho asks, and Jiwon freezes at the question.

“Um, not exactly?” Jiwon scratches nervously at the back of his neck, unsure how to answer Minho properly.

“Really? I kinda thought since you guys promoted around the same time…” Minho shrugs.

Jiwon gnaws on his lower lip. He supposes the lesser of the evils would be to let Minho know now rather than later, possibly from the source herself.

“We...we kind of had a thing back in the day,” Jiwon starts, turning carefully to see if Minho might brake the car in shock.

“Ah,” Minho says with a hint of realisation and nothing much else.

“You don't feel weird about this at all?” Jiwon adds bluntly, to which Minho laughs heartily.

“Why would I, hyung? The past is the past, isn't it? It makes sense time-wise, anyways.”

Jiwon gnaws on his lip thoughtfully. That indeed felt like a lifetime ago. Now was different. Hyori had gotten married, and Jiwon, well, after a few twists and turns was now with Minho.

Minho decides not to say more when he feels something rest on his shoulder, smiling warmly instead.

Jiwon wriggles his fingers on the wheel as they turn into Hyori’s estate. Minho had reassured him earlier that Sangsoon already knew, and by extension, Hyori as well. He parks carefully, as if afraid to damage anything.

“It's gorgeous,” Minho looks up, covering his face slightly from the bright light of the early evening sun.

“Yeah,” Jiwon glances around, putting his hands in his pockets. He perks up when he hears the distant sound of dogs barking, and soon, he finds himself joined by Hyori’s pets.

“Hey, you guys!” a shrill voice calls. “Noona!” Minho calls cheerfully. Hyori runs towards Minho, patting him affectionately as Sangsoon follows close behind, a warm smile on his face.

“You mentioned there was something about the car?” Hyori asks, glancing between them. Minho nods with a tired sigh.

“Let Sangsoon-oppa have a look,” she says, voice full of confidence. “If you guys could make it here without much trouble I doubt it's something major.”

Before Jiwon can react, Hyori’s smiling eyes meet his. “Why not you guys come in and I’ll show you around?” she beams. Sangsoon waves them off, while going to take a closer look at the car.

“The house is beautiful, noona,” Minho says enthusiastically. Hyori smiles at him, thanking him with a pat, as she continues on a conversation with him.

Meanwhile, Jiwon who is shadowing them, wonders if this is how it feels to have something resembling an out of body experience.

After she's showed them around and Minho has made sure to pet the cats and dogs at least once, she gets them to sit at the dining table while she makes tea. She asks the usual: what time did they reach, where did they go, and she laughs heartily when Minho relates that they visited Jaejin earlier.

“I should visit him sometime too,” she muses, and Jiwon clamps up a bit. “Since we’re technically neighbours in a sense.”

After they've been talking for a while, Sangsoon finally reappears in the house, his hair tied up and shirt slightly damp. Minho rises from his chair, nearly jostling one of the cats. “Is the car okay, hyung?” he asks, voice full of concern.

Sangsoon smiles. “Yeah, I managed to handle it, just a minor interior issue,” he shrugs.

Jiwon pipes up. “Well then, Minho, we should probably get out of their hair and —”

Hyori raises a hand to stop him. “No, no. You're not leaving until you've had dinner,” she insists. A soft and strangled noise exits Jiwon’s throat. She forces them to stay seated, as she and Sangsoon scurry to prepare the food.

Jiwon still thinks he's having a quasi out of body experience as he watches Minho and Hyori talk cheerfully while Sangsoon replaces their meal plates with dessert plates, refilling their tea as well.

Sangsoon takes a brief glance at Jiwon, before blurting, “Minho-ssi, could you perhaps help me with something? I remember you made desserts for _Kang’s Kitchen_ before…” Minho, helpful as ever, rattles off a speedy apology to Hyori before following after Sangsoon out of the kitchen.

Only Jiwon and Hyori are left. She smiles in the direction of Sangsoon and Minho, before turning to Jiwon, eyes boring into his.

 _Hyori, direct as ever,_ he mumbles to himself.

“You look good,” she says, resting her chin on her hand. Like this, Jiwon thinks, she looks both just like when they first knew each other — but there's also an added confidence that’s only possible with the many years that passed.

“So do you,” he says. “This life looks good on you,” he smiles with a hint of teeth.

“I actually never saw myself living here let alone like this, you know, back then,” she says, emphasising on the _back then_ with air quotation marks. “Until, well, until Sangsoon-oppa came along, of course.”

Jiwon nods wordlessly.

“Even after all this time, I just know when something is nudging at your thoughts,” she says cheekily, eyes forming small crescents.

Jiwon coughs, thinking about earlier when he and Minho had the conversation about Jaejin and Jinwoo. Some things never really changed, he thinks.

“Are you reminiscing, oppa? About the good old times,” she rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. Hyori knew. She always has, he has little doubt.

“Actually,” here he rubs his knees, not completely looking at her, “Minho didn't know. Until just now.”

“About us? Last time?” She cuts straight to the point. “So I guess he's the reason why you came all the way out here,” she muses, sipping her tea.

“Yeah,” Jiwon nods.

“Sangsoon-oppa sort of had an idea, but I did get around to telling him. We just frankly talked about it, joked a little, even,” she shrugs.

Jiwon realizes he's never really asked about Minho’s past too, but he's never been one to be curious about such personal matters.

“You look happier, you know,” Hyori says, tucking stray hair behind her ear. “I guess we know who to thank for that,” she smiles.

“Sometimes I wonder if he's too good for me,” he blurts, but he's belatedly shocked at his honesty.

“Hey,” she says, poking his arm with a finger, so casually as if it hadn't been entire years since they had a proper conversation. “It's give and take, you know. You guys clearly make each other happy, if not you wouldn't have come this far.”

Jiwon hums thoughtfully.

“I’m serious. What makes you so afraid?” Hyori thumps her cup lightly on the table.

 _That I might mess up again, make the same mistakes,_ he thinks. _That one day, he might find someone else._

“Your thoughts have always been so loud,” she drawls. “He looks at you like you're his world. And for all it's worth, the past is in the past. We're here, we're happy in our own ways. Honestly? We were young and stubborn, too similar and hard headed. We both needed someone who would help balance us out. And vice versa.”

“He’s a special one,” Hyori declares. “I’d keep him close too.”

Jiwon looks back at her dumbly, and she makes a noise between a laugh and that of exasperation.

“Look at us, all grown up,” she muses, clinking her tea cup against his — a stark contrast from the soju glasses they used to share. Jiwon snorts, but he's smiling as he drinks his tea.

“Here, let's have dessert!” Minho’s familiar resonant voice rings through the dining area as he and Sangsoon reappear with bowls of sweet bingsu.

“I trust the both of you had a great time catching up?” Sangsoon says, refilling the teapot.

“It was great,” Hyori's grin is wide as she pushes a heaping bowl of bingsu towards Jiwon.

After a few more cups of tea, Minho jests that Jiwon needs to go to bed soon, to which Sangsoon asks if they'd like to stay over, there was plenty of room. Jiwon is then the first to say they really didn't want to intrude and he's half dragging Minho away. Hyori just laughs as she tells Sangsoon that they should accompany them out.

Hyori sends them off with some baked organic goodies, much to Minho’s delight. “Don’t be a stranger!” she calls as they board the car, Sangsoon waving with a wide smile as he holds the heaping box of supplements from Minho.

“Phew,” Jiwon lets out a sigh of relief when they’re a distance from the house. Minho only laughs, leaning on Jiwon’s shoulder. “You’re so cute, hyung,” to which Jiwon wrinkles his nose at him.

“Navigate, please,” Jiwon says dryly, ignoring Minho’s increasing gestures of affection, which he definitely blames on the sugar from dessert earlier. Minho complies, replacing the hip hop playlist for some IU to suit the deepening night.

“That was really nice,” Minho says with a short yawn. “Hyori-noona and Sangsoon-hyung are so nice, aren’t they, hyung?”

“Mm,” Jiwon replies simply, relieved that the dim street lights from outside would not show his stiff expression.

“Wow, the skyline…” Minho muses as he glances out where they can see some lights from the houses, and from the coast.

Jiwon responds by reaching a hand over, holding Minho’s hand tightly. Minho blinks at him, but smiles goofily as he lifts their joined hands to the light, watching how the shadows danced over them.

“Make a right turn here,” Minho says after a moment, and sure enough, even in the dim light they can make out a sign that says _Camping Site._

Jiwon takes his time parking, as Minho rummages in the back to get the things they need for the night. He declares that he’s too full for an outdoor barbecue tonight, and they’ll have it tomorrow instead. Jiwon readily agrees, full from all the food they’d consumed in a day.

Jiwon looks at Minho in surprise as he strings up some fairy lights over the door. “Nice,” he says, more glad that he wasn’t the one made to set it up. He normally didn’t like things that required too much hassle.

“Let’s sit outside for a bit and look at the sea,” Minho beams, getting out their chairs and setting up a small fire. Jiwon pulls his coat over him, nodding as he joins Minho.

Thankfully, the campsite is empty this time of year, since it was off peak season. Minho sidles up next to Jiwon, before wrapping his arms around his waist with a catlike smile.

“Finally, I get to hold you like this,” Minho murmurs, eyes looking intently into Jiwon’s.

“It’s only been a day, Minho-ya,” Jiwon says, lowering his voice, tightening his hold around Minho.

“Never enough time,” Minho whispers, before leaning to plant a soft kiss next to Jiwon’s lips. Jiwon pulls back with a half smile. “You cold?” he asks, rubbing Minho’s back. Minho shakes his head, still smiling.

Jiwon’s expression seems to intensify in focus, as he studies Minho’s eyes. He thinks back about the day, finding himself thinking of Jinwoo, and Jaejin. Hyori, and Sangsoon.

_Himself, and Minho._

He cups Minho’s face, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, followed by the side of his jaw, and finally, finally, their lips meet. Minho’s lips are a little cold, but it doesn’t bother Jiwon. Minho hums into the kiss, satisfied. They pull back with a soft sound, Minho’s cheeks just a little flushed.

“I thought we came here to look at the sea,” Jiwon jokes, voice soft.

“This is much better,” Minho says with a chuckle. “Let’s go in, it’s cold and I don’t want us to fall sick before filming.” Jiwon lets Minho lead them inside, where they tuck themselves in to the provided bed on the upper floor. The only light is from the soft fairy lights, and Jiwon yawns long and loud. Minho snorts at the sudden shift in mood.

Jiwon tugs the covers over them, but then turns to face Minho, gaze focused.

“Hmm?” Minho asks, snuggling closer so he’s flush against Jiwon.

Jiwon’s lips part slightly as he considers his next words. “Minho-ya.”

“Yeah, hyung?” Minho leans up.

“Thank you for...for today. And for all of this,” Jiwon says, rubbing circles on Minho’s back.

“You’re most welcome, hyung,” Minho grins sleepily. “M’glad you liked it, even with the bumps along the way.”

“And…”

“Uh huh?”

“I...I love you, Minho-ya,” Jiwon murmurs, before leaning to kiss him again, and again. Minho tries to get a word in, but giggles as Jiwon continues to shower him with kisses.

“Hyung!” Minho squeaks. “Please.” Jiwon finally pulls back, his familiar toothy grin on full display.

“Yeah?” Jiwon hums.

“I love you too,” Minho says, before leaning up to return his kiss. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Jiwon whispers, pulling Minho close. He goes to sleep with thoughts of a life with Minho — not on a distant island, but in a familiar countryside home with a little vegetable patch that was just a bicycle ride away, and a noisy alarm clock with a recording of Minho’s voice planted in the room.

 _We have a tomorrow,_ Jiwon thinks as he looks at Minho with half closed eyes.

_And perhaps, an always._

**Author's Note:**

> the title is most definitely not from a certain song. it is not. if you get it, you do 🤪 also do stay healthy and be safe! xo, som


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